Susan Gubar presents an insightful way to be thankful on this day. The Lemonade Fund gave a record number of grants this month, in time for Channukah, to Israeli breast cancer patients. This fund would never have been created without the eye opening experience of having cancer. Though no one would wish for it, one can be grateful for the good that can be born out of such an experience.

This is a position that can be done in the comfort of your own home, alone or with friends, using a screen, even Facebook! The Lemonade Fund has pages of content, on our website and Facebook page, written in simple English, that need to be translated into Hebrew. (On another note, we would like to translate into Arabic, Russian and Amharic, as well. If you speak any of these languages, or know a friend who does, that would be great, too.) We also have plenty of other opportunities involving the continued development of our website and our Facebook page. No professional experience required, just enthusiasm and energy. Please contact the Lemonade Fund at israelbcerf@gmail.com

S., 42, is a nurse from Sderot who was diagnosed in August with invasive breast cancer. She had a mastectomy and is currently undergoing chemotherapy which will be followed by radiation treatments. She is single, lives alone (her parents have both died,) and she has been too sick to work since beginning treatment. She has used up most of her paid sick leave from work and will soon begin taking an unpaid leave. The amount she will receive from national insurance is barely enough to make ends meet. The Lemonade Fund is happy to help ease S.’ financial situation so that she can concentrate on healing and recovery. She will receive her grant money next week.

N., 54, is an Arab-Israeli seamstress from Tayibe. She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008 and was treated with a lumpectomy, chemotherapy and radiation. After treatment, she returned to her job in a factory and worked there until it closed down, after which she was unable to find new work. She is single and has been living with a sister. Recently she was diagnosed with a recurrence of breast cancer which metastasized to her bones and elsewhere. She is being treated aggressively but according to her physician, her prognosis is ‘very grave.’ The Lemonade Fund was created to assist breast cancer patients who find themselves in dire financial straits while they are undergoing treatment which will hopefully lead to recovery. (‘No one should have to be both very sick and very poor.’) Thankfully, due to advances in medical science, more patients are surviving breast cancer and many are able to return to their normal routines; are able to go back to work. But what of the patient for whom recovery isn’t likely? Though bittersweet, the Lemonade Fund is humbly grateful that it can reduce extraneous hardship during a terminal patient’s final days. We are praying for her recovery, and we hope that N. will have her load lightened by the grant that she’ll receive next week.

(With thanks to my wonderful friend, Sharon L., edited for space.) Many professionals in restaurants and eateries are using or consuming the entire lemon and nothing is wasted. How can you use the whole lemon without waste?

Simple.. place the washed lemon in the freezer section of your refrigerator. Once the lemon is frozen, get your grater, and shred the whole lemon (no need to peel it) and sprinkle it on top of your foods.

All of the foods will unexpectedly have a wonderful taste, something that you may have never tasted before. Most likely, you only think of lemon juice and vitamin C. Not anymore. What’s the major advantage of using the whole lemon other than preventing waste and adding new taste to your dishes?

Well, you see lemon peels contain as much as 5 to 10 times more vitamins than the lemon juice itself. And yes, that’s what you’ve been wasting.

But from now on, by following this simple procedure of freezing the whole lemon, then grating it on top of your dishes, you can consume all of those nutrients and get even healthier. It’s also good that lemon peels are health rejuvenators in eradicating toxic elements in the body.

So place your washed lemon in your freezer, and then grate it on your meal every day. It is a key to make your foods tastier and you get to live healthier and longer! That’s the lemon secret! Better late than never, right? The surprising benefits of lemon!Lemon (Citrus) is a miraculous product that can possibly kill cancer cells.

As you know, the lemon tree is known for its varieties of lemons and limes. You can eat the fruit in different ways: you can eat the pulp, juice press, prepare drinks, sorbets, pastries, etc… It is credited with many health virtues…

This plant is a proven remedy against diseases of all types. Some say it is very useful in all variants of cancer. It is considered also as an anti microbial spectrum against bacterial infections and fungi, effective against internal parasites and worms, it regulates blood pressure which is too high and an antidepressant, combats stress and nervous disorders.So, give those lemons a good wash, freeze them and grate them. Your whole body will love you for it!!!!

Nothing brings to mind the concept of renewal quite so much as trees. We are witness to their yearly cycle, from death to bloom. For those who are fighting serious illnesses, this act of nature is inspirational. It illustrates the return to health as the primary inclination of living things. It gives hope.

Last week Israel buried a good man. Ron Nachman was the dedicated mayor of the city of Ariel as well as one of its founders. He lost a long, rather public battle against bladder cancer, and prior to his death he spoke about the comfort he found in a nearby hothouse full of plants.

“This hothouse is always blossoming and renewing. It gives you hope for life, for the battle you are waging,”

The Lemonade Fund was founded to keep hope alive in a segment of the Israeli population that is especially weak. Impoverished Israelis, newly diagnosed with breast cancer, are eligible for one-time grants to assist them with the ancillary costs of being ill.

Having a serious illness is expensive. In 6 months a health crises can force a family into bankruptcy or homelessness. Our grants help all citizens of Israel, Jew, Arab and Christian, of any age or nationality, to pay their rent, bills, childcare, travel costs, etc. By quickly and compassionately delivering direct financial assistance, the Lemonade Fund, can ease some of the financial burdens that accompany breast cancer so that patients can concentrate on the more important challenge of getting well.

Coincidentally, the Torah portion that will be read in synagogues tomorrow, Tu B’Shvat, is Parshat B’shalach, and it alludes to the restorative power of trees. As the children of Israel are suddenly terrified by a lack of drinking water in the wilderness, God shows Moses a tree. Moses throws the tree into the water and miraculously, the brackish water turns sweet. God uses the tree, as an appropriate symbol of rejuvenation, to introduce his role as healer

May God be a healer to all those who are sick, and bless his people Israel, and our land, for a sweet, healthy, peaceful New Year of the Trees.

Chag Ilanot Sameach, Shari

IBCERF (Lemonade Fund):

1. To volunteer or if you know someone who needs to apply for assistance:Send me an email at israelbcerf@gmail.com.

2. To donate:(To ensure proper credit, please note on the internet or via regular mail, that your donation is for the IBCERF.) Many thanks to those of you who have already donated.

Tax Exempt Donations from the U.S.A.: Donations can be made through the PEF Israel Endowment Fund, 317 Madison Ave., Room 607, New York, N.Y.10017, Tel: (212) 599-1260. Checks should be made payable to “P.E.F. Israel Endowment Funds.” Designate check to IBCERF.

Tax Exempt donation from the United Kingdom: Donations can be made through the New Israel Fund, 26 Enford Str., LondonW1H 2DD, England, Tel: 44-20-7724-2266, Fax: 44-20-7724-2299. Checks should be made payable to “New Israel Fund.” Designate check to IBCERF.